Frozen Rain
by lunnylu
Summary: This is a story about a cat. Possessing white fur with light gray mottled spots 'n patches and captivating violet blue eyes. She's known by many as Rain, though others think of her as Hail. We'll stick to Rain for simplicity purposes. It might get confusing so bare with me. On with the story. (Rated T for T reasons)
1. Chapter 1

Foreword:

This is a story about a cat. Possessing white fur with light gray mottled spots 'n patches and captivating violet blue eyes. She's known by many as Rain, though others think of her as Hail. We'll stick to Rain for simplicity purposes. It might seem confusing so bare with me. On with the story.

Chapter 1:

Rain's black collar uncomfortably pressed against her neck. It was adorned with blood stained fangs and claws of her previous "victims": dogs, cats, fowl, badger, and the occasional fox. Black claws that matched her collar lazily hung from the branch that she was napping on. She tediously surveyed the blank forest below her and a small kit caught her eyes, silver with darker flecks, running across the flora carelessly. Scratches covered its fur and it had a funny gate, as if injured, making it an easy target. She shook her head, who was she kidding? Kits weren't on her hit list, or any other list.

The spotted she-cat took a bite out of the mouse she had brought up to the tree with her, then kept on watching. Ah, there he was. Iko. Ikol. Ik-hole. Whatever his name was. Black fur tipped with a seemingly unnatural blue shone in the sunlight. Partners in crime or not, her new goal was to kill him, even after failing more than a dozen times. She scooted down the branch and sent a couple leaves down to the ground. Sliding down the branch and getting twigs entangled in her fur, letting more leaves drop. Regretting her lack of covert skills, it's too late. The tom looked up at her and smiled with his deep blue eyes, "Well, if it isn't my favorite bipolar freak?" Rain just flattened her ears and drew her lips back in a mute snarl, now clinging onto the branch for dear life. "Need help?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, knowing he'd never get one anyways, and expertly goes up the tree. Iko crawls to her and pulls her up by the scruff effortlessly. Rain sighs with relief and awkwardly dips her head in gratitude before regaining her senses and narrowing her eyes at him. The black-blue tom stares at her dull eyes for a little too long which makes her itch with an uncomfortable feeling. "You know you you'd never be able to kill me, right?' he mutters. "Admit it, it's cuz you're in _looove_ with me!" teases the tom. No. Rain's fur fluffs out, and her tail nervously sways as if trying to regain balance. Chuckling, he smirks and jumps down from the branch, flawlessly landing on all fours. She huffs at the challenge in his taunting blue eyes and leaps down.

_Flashback: Rain's expressionless facade seemed unfazed as she cornered her next victim, an old clan leader, on the top of twoleg home. "Have mercy. Please." pleaded the elder tom. She dipped her head and sadly looked at him, pitying the already broken soul. Tears clouded her eyes as she sees some sort of understanding in his green orbs, and he nodded; almost as if forgiving her. Was he mocking her? He knew nothing of her pain, and she knew none of his. How dare he! Rage filled her and before she knew it, she had pushed him off and sent him crashing to the concrete. He landed with a sickening crunch. Rain felt herself wince and forced herself to go down. The ragged tom had hit the ground head first, and she sighed in relief knowing it could've possibly been painless. She took a fang and gingerly stuck it on her collar, as a souvenir incase they questioned her, then quietly padded away._

The scene replays in her mind and she hesitates in mid air, crashing into the tree, and finally hitting the ground, falling on a paw at an angle. She cries out in pain and rolls. Agony flares through her right forepaw. Cursing herself, Rain hauls her scratched and battered up self off the forest floor and comes face to face with Iko; who was not even trying to hide his grin. "Haha! Imagine this circulating around the camp! "Ruthless killer, Hail, murdered by a tree!" Wow Rain, you'll really be making a name for yourself!"

The white and light silver she-cat gives him a "what do you want in exchange for keeping your trap shut" look and perks her ears as if waiting for a reply. He was right, it could completely ruin her reputation if she limped back into camp. It would be dangerous for her in her current situation.

Iko appeared to be seriously thinking it through, and her heart drops when she sees his sharp white teeth flashing a sly grin at her. "I get to order you around for five full days."

She glares; both options would lead to humiliation so she holds up one paw, one day. He shakes his head, "Three days." She raises one paw again. "Four?" Gritting her teeth, Rain lashes her tail. Putting up two paws in the air while sitting down, she looks away. "You surrender? Two days, as you wish." She felt nothing far from extreme agitation, knowing she was at the mercy of her rival for the next two days. Maybe shame would've been a smarter choice than allowing someone as trivial as him boss her around.

"Great, now follow me." Lifting her paw up as she limped as fast as she could behind him, Rain's endurance dissipated. Staggering around a maze of vines and roots is impossible on three paws. Iko let out an exasperated sigh and padded back towards her, offering her his shoulder to lean on. Stubbornly shaking her head, Rain refuses his help, deeming it as a sign of weakness. He snorts in disbelief and contempt, "Don't be an idiot. Or would you prefer for me to put you out of your misery?" She flinches and gives in, leaning on him while they made their way through the green forest. One moment he helped her and the next he was threatening her. What a shady guy! Well, she _does _repeatedly attempt on his life. Wait, shouldn't she be trying to assassinate him? Rain pins her ears back, Iko adeptly notices her change of thought and scowls. "Look, don't even think about it. You know you're out matched. What'd happen if I just left you here by yourself with a strained paw, can't really fight off a fox on three paws right? Or, let's say you're stupider than I think and decide to attack anyways, wouldn't you agree that the odds aren't in your favor? I'd have you bleeding out in mere seconds."

Rain hung her head as they continued strolling across the woods, admitting defeat. She slipped on a smooth rock, almost losing her balance, but he steadied her with his tail. Opening her mouth to say thanks, she catches herself and glares at her paws as they keep on going. The white and gray she-cat becomes overly aware of the lingering black tail that was casually draped over her back and tried shrugging him off to no avail. This cycled for a while before Iko came to an abrupt stop in front a fallen log.

She reluctantly follows him inside. It takes her breath away. The top was tall enough to make them have to stretch up to reach the ceiling. Four cats could comfortably stand side by side in a single row. Needless to say, it was huge. There was a fully stocked fresh-kill pile along the edge, a hole for a quick escape route, herbs neatly sorted into small indentation in the bark, and a large, very suspicious looking, fluffy, moss bed. It was covered in soft feathers and had leaves around the border. It didn't even come close to the nest she had back home in the streets.


	2. Chapter 2

Chap. 2

"It's amazing." gasped Rain. Her eyes grew wide as she realized she had just spoken, causing her to clamp her muzzle shut.

Iko laughed, "Wow, first time I hear you say something legit." He grins widely and singsonged, "Looks like somebody's got a promise to keep." She gave him an incredulous look. The dark tom inched his muzzle towards her ear, "We wouldn't want Lightning knowing you're incapacitated; do we now?" Fear sent shivers down her spine, and she submissively layed her head flat on the floor, careful not to disturb her right paw further. "Good. Now, eat something before you starve yourself." What?! He offered her food! More like forcing her to eat, but it was practically the same. Iko nudged a plump mouse to her. Rain gave him a questioning look and he simply nodded. She had already eaten before and wasn't very hungry so warily took small bites and had finished it in a few moments.

"Now put out your paw." Rain purposefully held out her uninjured paw. "Other one." She obliged, switched, and gave him her right paw. "Okay, hold still." A small nod showed she complied and he got to work. He placed two even sticks on either side of the strained paw, chewed up comfrey and burdock root then smeared the poultice, finally wrapping it all in cobwebs. Iko then tied a thick black cloth around it all to secure it, and smiled triumphantly at her when he finished. She couldn't help but feel trapped and nervous.

"What's wrong?" demanded the tom, rolling his eyes. "Don't make me force you to tell." Rain shakes her head and becomes expressionless again. "Dammit Rain, tell me." She didn't respond, ticking him off further. He swiftly had her pinned and a paw was on her windpipe in a flash. Her glaring violet blue eyes turned to slits and she kicked him off. She bares her teeth and her fur bristles menacingly. "Ah, has my dear Rain frozen into Hail?" His blackish fur concealed him in the dark of the dead tree, while her white and silver stood out. She throws herself at the direction of his voice, missing barely by a mouse tail. His claws rake her side and bloodied up her flank,

Rage seared through her and she threw him down to the ground with such force, his head made a loud _thump_ when he hit it. Rain's claws began digging into his chest, drawing blood. Her face felt wet, so she stopped since it confused her. Iko looked up at her, "If you're going to murder me, Rainy, then why are you crying?" Tears streaked down her cheeks, and the insanity encasing her fell apart. She jumped off him and for once truly felt remorse. Taking no chances, even though battling an injured she-cat was against his moral code, Iko pinned her to the ground; careful not to hurt her sprained paw.

She grunted, admitting he had trounced her. Her eyes were moist and tears still cascaded down her face. Iko looked at her with clemency, then pulled her back up by the scruff. He half dragged, half carried her to his nest and lay her down on her side. "Are you scared?" Shaking her head, she smiled brightly even though she knew he could see through her lies. The black tom knew all too well what she was thinking, feeling, concealing. To him she was made of glass. Fragile and see through, everything Rain tried not to be.

Iko gave her ear a comforting lick and then curled around her, to Rain's slight dismay. "You're scared. Of me?" She briskly shook her head. "Of you." Rain hesitated and nodded once. The blue-black tom chuckles then sweeps his tail over her. "Don't forget Rain, we've still got our little deal going on. So, first order of business, you have to talk normally, you can't be mute. I'm not gonna bother trying to figure out what you mean every time. Got it?"

Rain nods but keeps her muzzle shut. "We can take the easy way or the hard way. Now, do you understand?" growls Iko in her ear. She nods again, irritating the tom further. "For Darkforest's sake!" He jumps up and rolls Rain onto her back and holds her down by placing his paws on hers. Snapping the bone collar with his jaws, he throws it aside. Rain opens her mouth to protest but nothing comes out. Her eyes go round as he buries his nose into the crook of her neck, whiskers tickling her. Rain squirms and flails but her rival's unfazed.

Grooming her fur, he snickers as he sees the look of horror on her face. Iko continues rasping his tongue over her cheeks, ears, and neck, his grin showing through. The white and silver cat barely whispers, "S-stop." She hated other cats coming in contact with her. She had always despised any kind of physical display of affection. How did he figure out her weakness?

"Said something?" teases the blue eyed tom.

Rain swallows and repeats, "S-stop it."

Iko sighed and smiled crookedly, "If you say so." She felt her ear tips turn red and blushed. He backed off her curled up besides her, draping his tail over his nose. Rain shakes out her fur and paws at were the collar used to be. Walking towards it, something white catches her eye. Investigating it, she discovers it to be Iko's bone collar. The whole thing was covered in teeth. There were so many, that he had to place them above and below the original line of trophies. His looked far more intimidating than hers. No wonder any sane cat feared them as a team. "Ah, I see you found my prized possession." notes the tom.

"S-sorry. I j-just saw it." stutters Rain. He pads over to her and stands besides her. She stares at the fangs and claws impaled into the collar.

"That one's from my first kill, my father." said Iko, pointing to a claw with his. "That's my brother's." She was at loss for words. "Ha. Left a mute speechless. Irony." he states cheerfully.

"I'm not m-mute. I d-don't enjoy conve-versing." corrects Rain. She ducks her head in shame at her stutters.

"No wonder Lightning's taken a liking to you. The quiet type that follows orders no matter what." observes the tomcat. Rain finds herself blushing again.

"Lies. Th-that sociopath likes n-no one." she denies. Iko grins.

"So I heard." muses the dark colored cat. "And I take it that you don't fancy him."

"What would-d make anyone th-think that?" murmurs Rain in disbelief.

Iko shakes his head, "Nothing. Oh yeah, can you clean my collar? White gets stained easily." Rain nods, remembering the whole "order you around for two days" deal. He plops back down onto his nest, leaving her to figure it out for herself. She'd get wet moss to wash it. Reaching for an extra piece of moss, she wanders off limping. A half moon illuminated the night, leading the way to a nearby creek. Rain picks up on a strange scent surrounding the area. What times did clans patrol again? According to Lightning, whatever clans where here were well aware of the imposing danger, thus forcing them to have patrols very often. The deputy had said that night patrols were more frequent, so whenever on a mission she should be on watch.

That's when she realised that she should've disguised her smell before idiotically running for the creek. Thundering pawsteps sounded through the underbrush, making it too late for her to duck for cover. Two toms burst into the clearing, brislting. She thanked Iko for breaking her collar, or she would've been killed without hesitation. Without her right paw in fighting condition, she could only feebly attempt to defend herself.

"Hello there." greets a gray tom with amber eyes, he holds out his paw to her in a greeting. Rain lost her will to speak right then. His companion hisses at her lack of response. "Calm down, Stonepaw, she's probably afraid of us. Be kind." The vain tone in his voice irks her, but she was indeed feeling fearful. "Look at that! She's hurt! Oh my."

"But Oakstorm, she reeks of poverty." whines the young tomcat. She tried hard not to lose her sanity right there right then, and sighed of relief as she kept a grip on reality.

"Excuse my apprentice, poor pretty cat, we are just wary of intruders. We'll take you back to camp and figure out what to do with you there. Wouldn't want to attract any attention." dismisses the apparent mentor. Yet he had the guts to call her pretty. Was he ridiculing her? The "warrior" took a step towards her. How could- something pressed against her comfortingly. Surprisingly she calmed down instantly.

"I would leave." remarks a smooth voice, belonging to a certain blue eyed tom. He pulls her closer with his tail and she feels something sharp against her cheek. Rain nervously eyes Iko's white bone collar that shone with a menacing gleam. "Don't think you'll get away with just a _few_ scratches."


	3. Chapter 3

Chap. 3

"Oh dear. Stonepaw, we might need to fetch the rest of the patrol. There's a Bloodclan varmint." sniffs the dark brown tom called Oakstorm. What a ridiculous name. Might as well be called Pansystorm.

"Nah, that wouldn't be quite fair now would it." countered Iko. "Since it already looks like it's just two against one. Come on, what do you have to fear over a border skirmish?" Rain feverishly shook her head in protest. A battle could mean more enemies. If one of them died, it would start and all out war. Of course, Iko already knew that, and didn't think much of it either.

"Hmm, could it wait? I'll have my apprentice switch places with me. I don't look forward to getting blood on my fur." excused Oakstorm. Stonepaw opened his jaws to protest, then swallowed nervously and nodded. "Good luck! I'll tell our clan about your bravery." Iko burst out laughing after the tom departed. Stonepaw cowardly ducks when Iko directs a sly smile at him.

"Oh dear. How 'bout I leave you for dead? Wouldn't want getting my fur messed up." mocks the blue and black tom. Stonepaw's ego seemed to deflate revealing a scared-to-death young cat. He pathetically takes a swipe at Iko's ears, who stops his paw in mid air and wrenches using his. The green eyed apprentice cries out in pain. Iko laughs at his lack of pain resistance and rakes his claws against his opponent's chest. Stonepaw dropped to the ground, bleeding and panting. Iko raises his paw in the air, aiming to strike down on the young cat's neck.

Rain makes a split second decision and wrestles her comrade to the ground. She couldn't bear to watch a cat so young lose their life. Stonepaw staggers up onto his paws in astonishment and flashes a grateful and respectful glance at her. "Run" she mouths. Nodding, the gray tom takes off, leaving the two alone. Iko looks at her questioningly. "S-sorry. He was t-too young." murmurs Rain shamefully. Iko harshly cuffs her ears. "What was that for!" screeches Rain, ears throbbing.

"Making me worry." growls Iko, gently pushing her off of him. "Come, let's go." Halfway to the log, Rain realises she had forgotten the moss and water.

"Gah! I'll be right back!" she calls over her shoulder, limping slowly back to the pond. Once reaching the pond, she found that the moss had already been dunked in water for her and a flat stone lay as an offering besides the moss. A stone...Stonepaw? Maybe she shouldn't be bothered by it, rocks and pebbles littered the area anyways. Rain fastens her jaws around the moss and rock and begins her trek back. Ducking her head as she enters Iko's home, Rain pads into the spacious den. Iko had his collar lying neatly besides hers, so she dropped the stone and scrubbed the claws and fangs gently. After about two minutes the white collar looked eerie, because of how shiny the "maimed remains" were. There were still some blood splats here and there, but for the rest it was clean.

It came to her that maybe she should clean hers too while she was at it, but decided against it since the black fabric looked brand new. How had he managed to put his collar back on anyways? She examined it and figured that it was just wide, so he could easily slip his head in. Now, how was she supposed to put hers back on? Iko had unlocked it when he had forced her to talk. A yawn overcame her, so Rain made up her mind and decided that sleeping with that bulky thing would only bother her.

Where exactly was she even going to sleep?! Great. The selfish idiot who called himself Iko lay in the dead center of his nest, leaving barely any room for her. Rain wrinkled her nose in distaste and curled up on the floor of the den. She kept her eyes open and alert in case of...danger perhaps? Pretending to fall asleep was her specialty. But so was Iko's.

"You're not asleep are you, Rainy." notes Iko, lifting his head. The violet eyed she-cat shakes her head. "Come here then." He swiped his tail over the moss and scootched backwards. When she didn't move, Iko chuckles, "Or could it be you prefer wood over moss?"

"No." growls Rain, limping to him and curling up a good mousetail's length away from the blueish tom. She placed her right paw out, not being able to bend it. Closing her eyes shut, the white and silver cat finds herself in a dream. Funny thing was, it looked all to familiar. It was a memory. There was the old version of her. Rain followed her around the alley, the day she joined the resurrected Bloodclan. It seemed not to notice her. The doppelgänger quietly padded to a pile of boxes, then sat down.

Lighting, a second in command, sat a top a cardboard; surrounded by bones. If they were food remains or past enemies would never be known. The large tom was a silver and white tabby with bright yellow eyes. His trademark collar, dyed red and maroon with blood, held an intimidating amount of claws and teeth from dead opponents. "Ah, a new recruit. Welcome. I've heard a lot about you, Rain."

The old Rain dipped her head politely, staring at the tom with dull violet eyes. The dreaming Rain remembered how scared she had felt, and noted on how well she kept her emotions hidden. For the first time, she saw just how small she was compared to other cats. Her light frame supported lean muscles, and her short neat fur covered her ribs. She wasn't necessarily short, her legs were perfectly proportionate to her body. The alley was empty for the most part. Lightning droned on and on about how ruthless their guild was and the strict rules she'd have to follow, so Rain, having heard it all before, tuned it out and looked around.

She poked around a box nest and came face to face with a brown tom once turning around. He had red ears, paws, and a matching red tail tip; paired with vibrant green eyes. Definitely not a kittypet. She didn't remember meeting him that day, but she felt as though she knew him. The tom didn't look past her, instead just stared in her eyes.

"You should wake up." he advised.

"Y-you see me?" stammered Rain. The cat nodded. "Okay. But why."

"You stay here too long you'll get stuck in a coma."

"Like you?"

He shrugs. "Who knows?" grinned the brown cat.

"Do I know you?" she asks

"So demanding," he chuckled, "I dunno. Do you?" Rain glares at him. He seemed worse than Iko. "You should really start leaving, wouldn't want to be trapped with me, again." Again? What did he mean? Rain felt herself fading.

"Can I return?" whispered Rain.

"That's up to you." murmured the tom. "Bye Rain."

She woke up with a start. He knew her name. How?! Rain was sure they'd met before, but had no idea when or where. Iko stirred besides her. Maybe he knew of the weirdo. So many questions spun in her head, which consequently made her sleepy. Some sunlight shone through the trees, dappling her fur. "Good morning, Lil Miss Murder. Still after my head or did you finally regain your senses?" calls Iko as he gets up and stretches with a casual yawn.

"I still hate you." mutters Rain.

"What'd I ever do to you?" asks Iko innocently.

"No comment." she growls, rolling on her back.

"You sure are chatty today. It's nice being able to communicate properly every now and then." sighs the tom, padding to the kill pile and picking out a sparrow. He devoured the bird quickly then cast the bones aside.

"Were you being sarcastic?" questions Rain, referring to the "chatty" comment he made. Iko shook his head and grins at her, a certain mischief sparking in his bright eyes.

"Hungry? I've got a leftover squirrel. But if you eat it you have to go hunt with me."

Rain nods, turning back to her quiet self unintentionally. He passes her the squirrel which she delicately eats, then tosses out the remains like he did. Iko signals with his tail to come outside, so she follows him out of the fallen log.

**Author's Note: **

**Lol, first time I've actually done this! :D I'm such a weirdo :P Erm... so, mystery brown and red cat... suspicious, no? Please review .3. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi there! :D Thank you so much for the first review guest person! ^^ it means a lot to me that someone read and enjoyed this. On with the story!**

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"How am I supposed to hunt with a cast on a paw?"

"Take it off, but leave on the black cloth." instructs Iko. Rain gnaws at the cobwebs while Iko laughs at her helplessness. "Let me do it." He pads over and lifts up the black arm band. With a claw he cuts the cobwebs loose and peels of the sticks. The poultice had dyed the white fur of her foreleg green. She tried licking it off but he just pulled the black thing over it.

"Leave it be." Rain nods and slowly places pressure on her numb paw.

"Thanks." she murmurs, content with the healing of her paw. Her ears pricked as she felt pins and needles but she quickly walked it off.

"We meet here when the sky turns pink," he calls over his shoulder. Rain photographically memorized the tree for it's X shaped marking and large stature, then took off. Hunting was one of her talents, since it was the same thing as killing. Strangely enough, she wasn't one to toy with prey; often Rain tried to be as quick as she could. She didn't enjoy making victims suffer, whether they deserved it or not. This earned her ridicule with her comrades whenever they saw her hunting, but she'd ignore them and stuck to her tradition.

The white and silver she-cat sniffed out a vole. It was feasting upon the chestnuts by a tree, consumed in eating. It was a rather fat one, and could masquerade for a rat. Seemed kind of stupid, not having noticed her presence. Slowly stalking, she waited for the perfect moment then pounced, killing it in an instant.

By the time the sky had been tinted with warm colors, Rain had caught one extremely overweight vole and two mice. She loaded it all on a fallen alocasia and dragged the leaf, weighed down by the prey, all the the way back to the X marked tree. Iko was sitting under the tree branches, waiting for her. Her "companion of convenience" had a squirrel hanging from his jaws.

"No way we'd starve now." comments Iko with a grin. Rain nods and he sets the squirrel on the giant leaf. "Now you get to carry it all the way back." orders the black and blue tom. She rolls her eyes and diligently begins to drag the fresh-kill back. Iko had to stop several times to wait for her to catch up. Finally, they reach the comfortable log abode. She unloads the dead creatures. Iko, being a secret herb geek, covered the food in lavender and lemongrass to keep the bugs away. He picks out the obese vole and they split it in half.

"It's barely dawn and I'm tired." complains Iko, giving his chest a quick lick.

Curiosity takes over and Rain's tongue slips, "If you lick your fur, don't you die of poison or something?"

"Nah, it's been this way since I was a kit and I'm still alive. Wait, are you hoping my fur does your dirty work?" he jokes.

"No? But that color of blue is too rich to be natural." notes Rain.

"Seems that way doesn't it?" muses Iko.

Another question pops in her head. "How can you possibly camouflage yourself?"

"Simple. I don't." answers the tom, flicking his ear. He tilts his head and smiles slyly, "My turn." Rain's tail tip twitches with annoyance. "How'd you get your name?" What a stalker, asking her for the reason of her name. She shrugs and gives him an annoyed look.

"It was raining." dismisses Rain.

"Wow. I thought it would be more... you know, exciting."

She shrugs, lashing her fluffy tail. "Well I'm sorry for boring you. Look, we better get back before we became the hunted."

"It's only daybreak, kill joy." he complains.

"Can we go?" pleads Rain, fur fluffing out.

"Fine," sighs Iko, "but if you promise me one thing. You'll stick to your mute self, this is my last...erm order." Ah, he hadn't forgotten the deal they struck. Rain dips her head slightly. "Great, let's go." Again, what a strange cat to have for a partner. They were on their way to their "home" in no time.

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**What happens next I wonder? I dunno . really, I don't. Review if you like! (or if you don't :P **


	5. Chapter 5

Chap. 5

It had taken them a full day to reach to entrance to the "new and improved" Bloodclan. Rain was calmly and quietly following Iko around. She wasn't looking forward to any attention the cats of their little rogue band might give her. Carefully crossing the demon-path, they make it to the other side. Not really minding the "no talking" condition, she resumed her silent self.

Paying no attention to the tortoiseshell she-cat in front of her, Rain stepped into the alley. "You one of 'em mangy Bloodclanners?" Rain gave her a bored look. They were actually looking for a fight; what idiot would look for a fight, with her? "Well, I'll tell you now. You fleapelts massacred my family. Know what that means?" Rain shakes her head, glancing around and not seeing Iko anywhere. The stranger walks up and thrusts her face into Rain's. The menacing gleam in the amber eyes before her didn't frighten the white and gray cat one bit. "It means one life, for three." she snarls, lashing out at Rain with thorn-like claws. Ducking to dodge it, Rain retaliates by rolling onto her back and raking the attacker's underbelly with her hind claws and then kicking the cat as hard as she could.

Rain took a moment to calm herself down, losing herself would not be an option. Where was Iko when you needed him? It's not like she did need him, but he had just conveniently disappeared on his own terms. Flashing back to the little duel that was going on, Rain jumps onto her paws, unharmed. "You little..." growls the tortoiseshell. "You're the psycho she-cat Hail right? Just some empty emotionless husk, ha." mocks the rampant cat with a hiss. Such a pathetic taunt almost made Rain smile. Shoving Rain down and pressing down on her neck, perfect, the gullible revenge seeking she-cat hadn't thought pinning her paws or rolling Rain onto her belly so that she couldn't claw. Rain coldly looks into the amber orbs, that held a confused spark. Swiftly, she slashes her black claws across the tortoiseshell's throat. "Empty... emotionless." she repeats, gurgling blood.

The colorful she-cat falls dead before her. Rain stared at the corpse then licked her ruffled fur. Empty, maybe. Emotionless, not so much. Agitated was an emotion, so was anger. "Bravo! Wow, quite a comeback Hail." Iko? No, he never directly used Hail as her name. She focuses her eyes and sees a light gray and white tabby tom. Unique eyes intently bored into blue violet ones. Now she was seriously fed up with Iko.

"Handled that one quite nicely. I knew you could deal with it. That deranged kittypet has been causing trouble all over our territory." remarks Lightning with a velvety tone. Rain pins down one ear and pricks the other in response. Lightning purrs, strides over, and stomps viciously on the dead victim with reinforced claws, causing a large puddle of blood to accumulate. Rain wrinkled her nose in disgust. As much as she feared him, she couldn't help but think of how much of a coward he truly was. He wasn't even a leader, yet acted as he pleased.

"Hey, Hail, I was going to need your help on a small little mission I was planning, could you accompany me tonight?"

"Oh, I'm sorry "your highness", but Rain and I were going to take someone out tonight. So could you please refrain from your fantasy?" chuckles Iko, who stepped out of the shadows where he had been perfectly concealed. And he had told her he never camouflaged. He casually pads up to Rain and drops her black bone collar at her paws. "Here's your collar back."

She blinks at him, slightly grateful. Iko responds with a nod. Lighting bristles, obviously ticked off. "I needed her to infiltrate a clan, I was planning on briefing her tonight. Nothing else." growls Lightning. His eyes seemed to drift ever so slightly. Rain freaks out as she notices he's lying about the last part. She unconsciously inches towards Iko without thinking, then realises what she's doing and stops. The blue tipped tom smirks and snaps her collar onto her neck with his jaws. Swishing his tail, he signals her to follow him.

"Well, sounds nice 'n all, but we gotta get going. See ya. Wouldn't want to be ya." calls Iko over his shoulder as he pads away with Rain behind him. Rain shakes out her fur and looks at him expectantly. Did they really have a new target? He smiles slyly. Of course they didn't.

"Thanks." whispers Rain, looking down at her paws. Iko bumps into her with his shoulders.

"No problem." meows the tom. "Let's stay find some place to crash for a night." Rain yawns, nodding and stretching. They walk for a bit, then find themselves in the Bloodclan camp, the actual one.

She nudges a cardboard box open, the one she used to live in, and slips in. It still had the same old pillows and torn up blankets she had taken from the demon-path. Dropping to the ground, Rain curls up and closes her eyes. Another dream.

Instead of a memory it was all black, but she could see her own paws.

"Hey, you came back." greets the tom from the last dream. The brown and red tom sits down in front of her. "Welcome Rainy. Now we can resume our conversation."

"So who exactly are you?" asks Rain.

"She speaks!" exclaims the cat. She bristles, throwing herself at him. He dodges with a satisfied smirk.

"I did last time." grumbles the she-cat, lowering her eyes hostilely.

"I know. You're so easily irritated." he laughs, purring. "You really don't remember me?" Rain shakes her head. He suddenly touches noses with her, an affectionate greeting. Her fur fluffs out taken by surprise. "Haha same reaction!"

"W-what?" stammers Rain, flustered.

"Redflame. That's my name incase you forgot." meows the red eared tom.

Rain's ears and lips go back into a soft snarl, "Clan?" She balances herself on her hind legs and takes a well aimed swipe at his face. Redflame ducks and pins her down, nipping her left ear. Blood droplets gather around the cut of her delicate skin making her grimace in pain. "Lemme go!"

"You really don't remember." states Redflame, obviously disappointed, and lets her go.

"I only know one freak, and that's Iko. No room for any other weirdoes in my life, whether I knew you or not.", she declares, frustrated and confused. He smiles good naturedly.

"I can always... make you remember." whispers the elusive cat. Her silver splatted fur bushes out in alarm. "Some other time..." He fades away in the blink of an eye. Rain sighs in relief as she's able to resume her somewhat peaceful slumber.

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**Erm... this was dedicated to meh pet rabbit... i dont have any reason for it... he's not dead or anything =3= Please review o.o **

**~Lunnylu **


	6. Chapter 6

"Rain! Rain! Wake up!" shouts a voice in her ear, shaking her. Rain drowsily turns over and comes face to face with a laughing Iko. Light blue violet eyes lazily bored into deep blue ones. "You were talking in your sleep." he informed her with a grin. "Something... about me being a freak?" mentions Iko in an accusing tone. Folding her paws up to her chest, she scowls. What in the world did he think he was doing in her den? "Ah- about that, I could hear you from my box. So, I came over." Oh, so being the stalker he was, he just barged into her den without her consent? That made sense. "I know what you're thinking. But no. I'm not some creeper who enjoys watching bipolar freaks argue in their sleep."

Rain frowns, quietly growling. Iko laughs out loud and quietly pads out of the box with Rain behind him. Abruptly, he turns around making Rain stop in her tracks, examines her face, then roughly draws his tongue over her left ear. She flinches away, looking at him with shock. He had licked the dried blood off the nick on her ear. "Nasty little cut on your ear, how'd you get it?" inquires Iko. Rain furrows her kitty-brows, fretting over how to explain that a cat in a dream had actually harmed her.

"Well... uhhh... it's that... erm..." mumbles Rain incoherently. "I must've clawed myself in my sleep! Well, we better get going and find a new tar-" A medium blue tipped tail muffles her before she finishes her sentence.

"You expect me to believe that, what do you take me for? An idiot?" frowns Iko.

She paws his tail away. "You really want me to answer that truthfully?"

"Oh, please spare me..." pleads her comrade melodramatically. "Seriously, how'd you get that?" Her ears twitched in annoyance at knowing that he could just figure out any lie she threw at him.

Giving up, she sighs, "Some cat's been...I guess you can call it haunting my dreams. Ticked him off I guess, and he bit me." Iko looks blankly at her, as if nothing she had said had registered into his walnut size of a brain.

Finally, he speaks. "Name?"

"Red something... Redflame." answers Rain slowly. "Brown, red ears, red tipped tail, mint green eyes." Iko eyes were full of bewilderment.

"That one's dead." deadpans the darkish blue eared tom.

"Seemed pretty alive to me." she jokes lightly. Iko cuffs her ears, much to Rain's surprise. "What was that for!?" screeches the white and silver cat.

"Is something wrong with you? You really don't sound like your usual emo self. Heck, you normally don't even talk at all." he observes, if that could be called observing.

"So? Not a reason to make the cut worse!" complains Rain, drawing a paw over her throbbing ears. "Wait- what's emo?"

"Ugh nevermind, come we should go." dismisses Iko. With a sigh, Rain begins padding after him again.

"Wait... you know him, Redflame?" prompts Rain after wandering aimlessly around the twoleg neighborhood with Iko.

"You don't?" Catching up to him, she shakes her head. "Well, how old are you again?" asks Iko. Rain narrows her eyes with suspicion.

"Two seasons and a moon." she answers quietly.

"He was exactly a moon younger than you at the time he died." meows the tom as he continuously takes long strides, as if purposefully trying to make her keep up with his fast pace. "Redflame's not his actual name."

"Then what is?" wonders Rain, whiskers twitching.

"Nobody knows..." he replies in a eerie dramatic tone, stretching the o's. "I met him once. Not an easy target." states Iko matter-of-factly.

"You sure know a lot about him... did you stalk him or something?" she accuses, coming to a stop at the demon path. "Where're we going anyways?"

"Nope, just picked up information here and there. Oh, and I dunno where we're going." says Iko with a grin.

"First of all, that kinda sorta is stalking. Second of all, then why are we pointlessly walking?" argues Rain. They leap across the black demon path in two jumps after a red "demon" zoomed past. She starts coughing as the ghastly fumes fill her lungs. "I hate...", a cough interrupts her, "those."

"Don't we all." chuckles Iko, seeming unfazed by the stench emitted from the shiny beast. Rain catches her breath and gives her ruffled fur a quick lick. A pang of hunger ached in her belly, making her shut her eyes close.

"I'm gonna hunt. I'll meet you back at camp." she murmurs, padding towards the tree line. Without saying anything else, she runs off. Opening her mouth to taste the air, she picks up the scent of a nearby shrew. She spots it next to a bush and leaps, landing perfectly on it's neck and snapping it before it could realise what was going on. Rain grabs the catch in her jaws and walks a little before setting it down. In two quick bites she eats the small shrew. Licking her muzzle clean, Rain picks up the scent of a cat close by and crouches as if preparing for a battle with her ears pinned back. Her muscles tense when the bush rustles and out pops a small gray tom. They simultaneously freeze, staring at each other without blinking.

She'd seen him before, but where? He looked younger than her, but not by an extreme amount of moons. Round green eyes lighted up.

"Moss?" blurts out the stone gray tom. Rain shakes her head in bewilderment.

What? "Moss." he repeats. Her eyes widened. Was this tom on catmint? "You're

that one cat that had the moss and stepped onto our territory." Wait a minute...this cat was the one with Pansystorm, Stonepaw?

"Stone...paw?" she whispers inquisitively. He jumps back in shock.

"You remember me! And y-you talk?!" gasps Stonepaw. Rain frowns. Of course she talks, wow just wow.

"Yeah." answers Rain quietly. "You're friends with that Pansystorm."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Oakstorm?" She nods. "Thanks for helping me...er- that time." he mentions, flustered. The blue violet eyed she-cat shrugs, turning to leave. Something tugs on her collar and she twirls around to see Stonepaw pulling her back. Rain takes a seat, looking at him curiously. What did he want? "Bloodclan, right?" Hesitating, she nods; anticipating his reaction. "Cool," is all he says. What? He thought it was "cool"? This cat was most certainly on catmint. Stonepaw unhooks his claw and smiles. "By the way, I owe you one for last time."

"Eh, ok. Er I need to find about a cat that goes by the name Redflame, heard of him?"

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**o.o errr I'm stuck on writer's block now... wonderful :D **

**~lunnylu**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, Lunni... again. Thank so much for your reviews! I was so happy! :D okay, so im kinda new at dis but wateva**

**Spottedpaw139 (guest) : Yeah, i never thought of that! (facepalm) thank you! I changed it, wonder if it showed up...**

**Mistystar (guest): Thank you! .3. I'm really glad you think so :D**

**Guest: Thanks, i try to expand my vocabulary a lot... hope it showed :] yeah. i made errors. :) thnx **

**Guest: I guess the chapter was kinda sorta awkward...thank u fir de review :D (hope this one won't be too awkward for your tastes)**

**Fred (guest): You're right, totally overlooked that /)(\. I fixed it, hope it edited. Thank u! :P**

**Umpalumpa (guest):(like ur name btw) Idk, wut is redflame doin'? o.o nvm! very mysterious XD Yesh, im happy you could notice that Rain's like that... it was wat i was aiming for :] I'll add the rankings later! Thnks for that advice! :U i should really do that**

**Konijntje (guest): Bedankt! Hier is het volgende hoofdstuk :D **

**(and although it's totally late and long over due) Moonbeam141: Thanks 4 everything :D luv ur stories.**

**So, here's 7th chapter. Erm... *cough cough* it's kinda long (2,000 words or so) but oh well, enjoy? I guess?**

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"Yeah, I know him." meows Stonepaw, flicking an ear. Rain looks at him in surprise. "I meant knew, as in past. He used to belong to our clan. Chatty, arrogant, and headstrong; quite the skilled fighter. He'd leave for days at a time, not letting anyone know where he was. Never saw him again. Rumor has it he got killed by your little clan."

"Ok, thanks for the info." murmurs Rain politely. She gets up to leave once more.

"Why?" mutters the tom.

"Huh?"

"Why are you trying to... you know, find out about him?" specifies the gray cat.

Rain debates on what to say. "He's haunting me, I guess?" she answers, stating it as a question. Stonepaw tilts head inquiringly. "It's useless if you don't know about the cat who keeps appearing in dreams, right?"

"I guess," he murmurs.

"Stonepaw!" yowls a demanding voice. Rain gets shoved into a nearby thorn bush as another cat bursts into the small forest clearing. "Pansystorm", also known as Oakstorm, skids to a stop in front of Stonepaw. "Stonepaw, what's that smell?" complains the brown "warrior". Rain twitches her tail tip, irked by the never dwindling attitude of the clan cat.

"A rogue, chased him off." replies the young clanner, lying smoothly. Had she just been called a tom? Ignoring it, she noiselessly thanks him for covering for her.

"Wonderful. Meet me at the camp soon? Our clanmates must be getting worried about me." snorts Oakstorm, vain as ever.

"'Course." complies Stonepaw. Rain hears the idiot-of-a-cat pad away and comes out of hiding after the coast is clear. "Argh I hate him!" growls the apprentice.

"That makes two of us and thanks," she breathes.

"No prob'." He nods, grinning. Rain waves her tail in goodbye without looking back and pads away, heading back to the border. "Oh, eh- bye!" calls Stonepaw after her.

The small information she had gotten from the gray tom might not exactly be useful, but it wasn't useless either. Anything worked, no matter how trivial. She steps out of the forest and onto grass that bordered the demon-path, treading softly over the bristly green stalks. In the middle of the path sat what looked like large tuft of deformed cotton. Focusing her eyes, she sees two small ears and a tail. A kit? What would a kit be doing in the center of a death path? The white and silver she-cat freezes when she hears a path demon roaring towards the kit who stared dumbfoundedly at it.

Rain instantaneously darts forward, gathers her haunches, and leaps. Landing on the rock hard ground, she briskly shoves the kit all the way to the other side; switching places. The green demon doesn't stop or slow down for the feline in it's way. She leaps away a second too late and one of it's black round paws crushes her tail, jerking her back down to the rock hard ground. Eyes shut tight because of the pain, tears began brimming her eyes as the flaring sensation on her tail intensified. She hears the thing roll away and disorientedly staggers onto her paws. A black and unnatural blue colored shape appears in her peripheral vision.

"You_ idiot_!" yowls Iko as he dashes towards her. He drags her away by her collar and drops her on the light colored sidewalk with ease. "Look what you did to your tail!"

She tries moving her plumy tail and winces when she feels a sharp pain. Turning her head to inspect it, she sees that it's bended in an awkward way.

"Huh..." is all she could muster. Rain looks around for the kit and sees it quietly sitting besides her. "You okay? I'm not gonna hurt you." she whispers, prodding it with a paw.

Iko steps in front of the kit. "But I am." he snarls, glaring down at the furball. He raises his menacing claws at the mortified kit.

"What do you think you're doing!" protests Rain. Sitting down, Iko averts his eyes from her accusing stare, puting. "I didn't get my tail run over just so you could claw it!" she scolds. The kit smiles and fondly paws her tail, she flinches in pain. "Ouch," she groans, clamping her jaws shut to try to ease the pain.

Bristling, Iko jumps up. "Dumb furball!"

"Leave it alone. It's just a kit." Rain mutters. Maybe she could bring it home and decide what to do from there. She grabs the kit by the scruff and begins pads towards her den. The kit just obediently hangs limps from her muzzle. Iko catches up to her and matches her nimble pace.

"Hey, wait Rain. You know how many rumors are going to fly around if someone from our deranged band of rogues sees you with a kit?" Rain shrugs indifferently. Those cats should worry about their own lives, not meddle with hers. "You've changed." he remarks with a laugh. Changed? She couldn't hurt a kit if her life depended on it since forever. How is that change?

"I just don't like hurting kits, and is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asks, slightly muffled by the kit's fur.

"We'll see." chuckles Iko. Rain enters her den and dips her head in acknowledgement as the blue tipped tom as he follows her inside.

"Anyways, it's only temporary." meows Rain with a sigh. She smiles softly as the pain in her tail ceased. It fades when she sees Iko and the kit locked in a glaring stalemate. Not again...

"Hey kit, you must know how to speak right?" demands Iko, not making any effort to mask his contempt for the tiny cat. "Are you a she or a he?"

"Yeah, I can talk, I'm a he!" snaps the small kit. Iko growls at the newly found bane of his existence and sits down. Rain's eyes widen. This furball had an attitude problem? Green eyes look up into hers and the kit frowns. "Thanks for saving me, sorry 'bout your tail. It's my fault." he mews sincerely. Huh, perhaps not.

"S'okay... no longer hurts." mumbles Rain, flicking an ear and laying down. It yawns and curls up besides her, smirking as Iko glares at him. "Do you have a name?" she asks, blinking.

"Fire, my name's Fire." answers the young kit calmly. Bewildered, Iko cocks his head.

"Ha- yet you're pure white, why not change it to Snowflake instead?" sneers the white collared cat. What was wrong with her partner of convenience these days? Arguing with a kit.

Fire leans his head against Rain's thick fur, "Look at my pelt, you blue idiot." This comment earned another snarl from her blue tipped comrade. Rain tilts her head and curiously examines the fur closely. The kit's fur she had thought was pure white was actually a tangelo shade beneath the white tips. "When I get older it'll molt and become darker." explains Fire with a yawn, pressing against the warm white and silver fur.

"Oh," she murmurs. She had never heard of anything like that before.

Iko stays posted by the corner, glaring at the quiet figure of the kit. "Arrogant furball," he mutters under his breath, stepping outside of the box.

"Heard that," spat the kit, apparently not asleep. Rain watches him as his breathing eases and he truly falls asleep.

"'Night," meows Iko from outside the the den. Listening to the sound of his pawsteps trotting away, she lays her head on her paws and gives into sleep too. Her eyes snap open when she feels something tugging at her ear. Reflexes kick in and she lashes out at whatever had been pulling on her ear. Whatever it was drops to the ground with a loud _thump_.

"Ow..." complains a certain red eared tom, staring up at her from the ground with a playful smirk, unscathed to Rain's disappointment. "That hurt... my feelings."

"You again," she growls. Glaring suspiciously at the cat, Rain lashes her tail.

"You must've taken quite a liking to me, trying to pry into my life." chuckles Redflame, swaying his tail back and forth. "If you want to know anything, just ask." How had he known that she had poked around? She shoves her curiosity to a side, deciding he was just a really deft stalker.

"Why do you keep harassing me in my sleep?" asks Rain in a monotone. Sleep used to be the only peaceful time for her until he came along.

His green eyes look up in thought, "'Cause I want to? And I wouldn't necessarily call it harassing. " Her nose wrinkles in distaste. Was he even taking this seriously?

With a growl, she changes the subject, "Tell me your name."

"Already did," he answers coolly, ticking her off.

"Real one, Redflame's just your alias." clarifies Rain, flicking an ear. Redflame rolls up onto his paws, coming face to face with the monochromatic she-cat. She cringes away, trying to gain some distance between them.

"Let's go on an adventure!" he exclaims suddenly, lacing his paws around her neck and pulling her towards him. Surprise lighting her eyes, Rain tries pushing him elsewhere, but his irritating grip's too strong. The blackness encasing them dissipates and reveals a blooming forest besides a road. Beyond the road was a dry sandy area that resembled deserted waste land. An awed Rain takes in her new surrounding

"Where are we?" she wonders aloud.

Letting go, Redflame meows, "Remember your memory dream?" Rain nods. How could she possibly forget? "Well, this is ours." Huh? Theirs? She didn't even know the tom! Or "remember" him. Two kits were tussling in the short grass, rolling around without taking notice of the pair of cats in front of them. She noticed one had white fur with silver patches, and the other was a brown with red ear tips. Looking closer, Rain could see bright blue-violet eyes on the lighter she-cat/kit.

"Don't tell me _I_ killed you," mutters Rain, recognizing herself as the petite kit trotting behind the brown and red kit.

"Nah," replies Redflame with a chuckle.

Rain takes a seat while watching the kits play, "Why'd I never remember this? Are we related or something? Are you the long lost brother and I never wanted nor cared for?"

"I have no idea as to why you forgot, and no, we aren't related." Well that ruled that scenario out.

Then another question pops in her head, "How come both of us are able to wander in these so called memory dreams?"

"For a certain reason," explains the tom vaguely.

"And what's that?" she asks innocently. The red eared tom just laughs out loud at her confusion and naivety, now it was obvious he wouldn't answer her. Watching the kits play, the two don't say anything for a couple heartbeats.

More awkward silence pass, and she finally speaks up, "Umm, I didn't get what you meant with your "I can always make you remember" threat. The only thing you did was drag me here."

Redflame shrugs, "Guess I bluffed, oh well. Might wanna start waking up right about now." Rain nods, stealing a last glance at the kits before her, and allows herself to wake back up. The peaceful scene disappearing, she opens her eyes and finds that she had returned to her den with Fire still curled up besides her. Everything was quiet in the pitch blackness except for the occasional humming of demons rolling by, so the white and silver cat decides fall back asleep.

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**Okay, so... here's chappie 7 hope u liked!... 'eck, it was kinda slow though o.o srry...**

**Thnx for reading & if u hav time plz review :D **

**~lunnylu **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi, ^^/). I've gone for a change of PoV o.o. Long time since last update :| so, sorry for those who might care XP Hope you can enjoy it even if it's a little bit ^-^**

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Early sunlight breaks through a crack in my den, luring me awake. Not really being able to sleep with light making my eyes ache, I get up on my paws and stretch. Yawning, I slip out into the cold morning. She should be awake by now, too. Looking around, I see the alley's utterly empty and quiet. Well, it was fairly early. After walking for a block or two I arrive at the cardboard box in the corner of a dead end. I chuckle as I heard snoring coming from the nest. Guess she still hadn't woken up. Poking my head through the flap to inspect the "contents" of the box, a grimace appears on my face. Stupid kit. He just lay nonchalantly curled up besides Rain. In my opinion, she was being way too lenient.

A growl escapes me and Fire twitches. Rain was a very deep sleeper, so I doubt she heard it. But, too my _extremely abundant _luck, Fire does hear. The little furball looks up and green eyes meet mine.

"What are you doing here?" hisses Fire quietly.

"Passing by," I hiss back. "What are _you_ doing here?"

His poisonous mossy eyes narrow, matching the same hostility as mine, "Conversing with some shlepp I met." Now I was getting ticked off. How could a _kit_ be so arrogant? My comrade was still sound asleep, not hearing any noise we made. She looked so peaceful and, dare I say, innocent. So contradictory. I caught myself spacing out again, ugh.

Fire gingerly stands up from besides her and pads towards me. "What's your name again?"

"Iko," I reply with a growl. "Why?"

"Just curious," he answers. Avoiding me, he steps out of Rain's den.

Bewilderment flashes in my eyes, "Where you goin' "Snowflake"?"

"Around." Fire walks further into the moist air, looking around curiously. Flashing a glance at a still sleeping Rain, I make up my mind and following the annoying furball. "Thanks," he says, taking me by surprise.

"What, why?" I scoff. Turning around to face me, there's a weird light in his eyes, as if he was grateful or something.

"You're not as much of an jerk as you make yourself out to be." Completely speechless and taken aback, I'm gawking at the kit. "Leaving a kit by themselves isn't your style either." Not being able to deny it, I blink. "But, of course, I prefer Rain." he adds. I smirk, that was a given.

"Great. Anywhere in mind?" I prompt. He nods. Maybe he wasn't that bad.

"Perhaps to the forest. Hey, why is your fur so unnaturally blue?" We continue walking through the deserted neighborhood.

My eyes go up in thought, "Been this way since I was a kit, can't remember it being any other color." More questions flash in his eyes. I sigh. It was going to be a long day.

"How are you acquainted with someone like Rain?" presses the small tom.

"Fate," I chuckle, "we are partners, kinda like a team."

Fire tilts his head, "Does she like you?"

Ignoring my ears turning red, I answer bluntly. "She tried to kill me."

He manages, "Oh." Of course, there's a follow up, "Then why would she stay with you?"

"Guess I'm the one who stays with her." Before he opens his mouth to ask: but she's out to kill you; I respond to the unasked question. "We're over that... I think..." He's caught off guard for a moment then nods. Smiling, I congratulate myself mentally. Rain hadn't made any more attemtps on my life since the time we fought. However, due to the Hail side of her, I wouldn't be surprised if she made up her mind and tried again.

"Tell me more about her," urges Fire, practically bouncing up and down.

Sighing exasperatedly, I shrug, "Barely know anything about her." Gazing at me imploringly, the kit forces me to surrender. "Fine! I'll tell you what I do know!" We stop in front of the road. After checking left and right, I grab the orange and white kit in my jaws and make a mad dash for the other side just as a blue demon appears. I'm awed at Rain's endurance, being able to carry this heavy lump all the way to her home without any complain. My neck ached after half dragging him to the grass!

"Thanks, those noisome things literally petrify me." meows Fire. So that's why Rain had to save him. I let go and he lands ungracefully on his paws. Sitting, he gives me an expectant look. Great, story telling time.

"Well, we met four moons ago-

The past seems to flash in my mind as I commence recalling the first day we met:

_Lightning walks up to me with a scrawny, shy, depressed, and rather lightweight she-cat trailing behind him. She had a sliced ear. "New sweetheart?" I joke. She bristles._

_He smirks, "No, yours. But if you don't want her, I'll keep her." Her fur fluffs out and her eyes seem to read: huh? Nudging her with his nose, the tabby shakes his head. I notice her flinching, but can't figure out why. "I'm kidding. This is Rain. Rain, this is Iko."_

_"Hi." No response. "Too full of yourself to not bother with answering?" I snarl at her with my eyes narrowed adversely. Rain opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Her dull violet eyes glimmer with fear digused as defiance. _

_Lightning drapes his tail over her shoulders, and I see her recoil again. "Rain, this will be your partner. Please do your best to put up him." Her light pink nose wrinkles with revolt._

_"What?! Come on, can't it be anyone else?" I complain, probably thinking the same thing as the white and silver cat. _

_"Thunder said so," growls Lightning, "if you've got a problem with it then take it up wih her." Nothing I can do about it then. I turn to glare into the dreary blue violet eyes before me when Lightning slips away._

"Hey, who's Lightning?" chimes in Fire.

"An annoying mange pelt, on with my story!"

_"Say something," growling an order, I frown. With a shake of her head, she takes a step behind. Light silver ears pinned back, unsheathed black claws, and a flash of hesitation in those dubious orbs. Eyeing her black collar adorned with about six to seven fangs, I assume she shouldn't be half bad in a fight, for a newbie. Lurching forward, I swipe at her face. Expecting to claw her, I'm surprised when I see she stopped my paw with hers. Chuckling aloud at her two-legged stance, a grin creeps on my face. Not willing to be beaten by a petty block, I snap out as I simultaneously jab at her rib cage. _

_She dodges my jaws and shifts her shoulders so I miss. A circle of collar clad cats had begun to surround our fight, trapping us. Cheering rang through the dead end of the alley, goading us battles regularly only lead to having one victor. One of us was going down, and I hoped it wasn't me. Then I realise that she wasn't counterattacking at all, just defending. _

_The instant I aimed for her throat, was the precise moment I saw a change in her eyes. Rain ducks her head down and rams into me, bowling me over. Swiftly rolling back up onto my paws, I see fury spark in the vividly violent violet eyes and she lashes out at my chest. Growling as blood seeps from my newly acquired cuts, a different strategy forms in my head._

"Wait. She's a killer?" asks the now-seriously-getting-on-my-nerves kit.

"Yeah, we all are. Now quit interrupting me!" I snap, continuing my tale.

_Knocking her over with a rancorous shove, my paws pin her down by the neck. She was fighting against the deadweight on her throat that was suffocating her. While trying to push me off, I could see Rain battling to remain conscious. Lack of air made her resistance futile, however. After attempting to rake my underbelly with her hind claws a couple times, she finally goes limp. Discreetly twitching an ear at me, Rain proved she hadn't blacked out just yet. As if giving me a choice whether I wanted to kill her or not. _

_"Guess I won this match." My whisper slightly ruffles the fur by her ear and she twitches in reply. Still playing dead, Rain continues to be acutely aware of her surrounding; seeing as she tenses up when someone walks up to congratulate me._

_"You've got skills since you're the only one who has ever beaten Hail!" lauds a white and black spotted tom. Rain emits a barely audible growl._

_"Thanks Domino," I acknowledge. The audience that had formerly encircled us began to disperse. He left and I dragged Rain up on to her paws. "You're mute aren't ya."_

_She nods and shrugs, giving me a cold glare that meant: don't push it. A marvelous begging to a friendship full of tension._

"The. End." I meow, elated that I was able to finish my story. Putting my front paws away from me, I stretch and yawn.

"So, you're the kind who beats cats if they don't talk. Well that's certainly a new development!" sneers Fire. Wow, and I thought he could be nice for a day.

My excuse is, "I didn't know she was mute."

Fire rolls his eyes. "A great reason to commence a battle." he agrees sarcastically.

"You sure you're a kit?" I scoff.

The white, orange, whatever color, kit nods. "I'm seven moons old and small for my size."

"An old kit? You're more like a young cat rather than a kit. You're pretty big."

"I'll take that as a compliment," chuckles Fire. Swishing his tail, he looks up seriously at me. "In about some days I'll leave, so don't go worrying your radioactive fur off."

"Sounds like a plan." I state, smiling to myself pleasantly. I turn around, "Imma head back, you can do whatever you want."

"Okay," meows the..erm..young cat. "See ya,"

"Bye," I reply. Across the road I dash just before a demon hits me. Close one. Making my way back to my den, I come upon a passed out light gray tabby. Lightning? His collar was torn up and in shreds, and his coat was full of scratches. "Trophies" scattered all over the concrete. No apparent opponents lying in a pool of blood, so he must've lost whatever fight he got himself into. "Light, you dead?" My question doesn't seem to reach him, so I poke him with a paw.

He was still breathing, so I guess that was good. Electric blue eyes open and stare

blankly at me. "Run," mutters the battered tom.

"Run?" I repeat.

Violent coughs stop him before he answers. "Rain. Danger. Damn. Ambushed." An attack? Now? Of course, he passes out again when the thought finally sets in. Great. Just. Great. Dashing away, I stop myself and remember my manners. I drag the beaten tabby towards a box to hide him, then desert him to search for "Rainy". Whoever this cat was, they better not lay a mangy claw on her. Wafting the air for any trace of my bipolar friend leads me to an unsightly scene.

Gasping for air, Rain barely remained on her paws. Blood splats dyed her fur burgundy. Her striking violet eyes meet mine and I can see that she's lost it. No, not the battle. Her sanity. A flash of recognition in her gaze tells me she's not completely crazy yet, so I sigh in relief. That's when _he_ stands up.

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**Well, it's a cliffe o_o sorry if u don't like cliffies. Hurray for Lightning taking a beat down, even tho he isn't the antagonist (but he kinda annoys me sumtimes ^-^) Thanks for reading anyways :3 and please review, since 9/173 where the only ones who did. can anyone tell me wut percentage that is? O_o**

**Thanks agian**

**~lunnylu**


	9. Chapter 9

**Loooong time no update :3 school's driving me mad, but oh well, here's chap.9 Oh yeah, I drew a new cover XD **

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Bleeding from a cut in her flank, Rain grits her teeth to try to avert the pain. Who in the world was this cat? She had never seen him before, nor recognized him. All she knew so far was that they had beaten Lightning half to death and were now after her. Rain had managed to throw him off before he could strike again. Whoever the tom was, they had broken the record for ticking her off in the least amount of time.

Iko bursts into the alley with a infuriated and dumbfounded expression and flicks an ear to ask if she was alright. Ignoring the blue and black tom, she focuses back on the two mismatching eyes glaring at her. Sizing up the random tom, Rain guesses his main strength is speed, since he was more lean and skinnier than her, and had just beaten Lightning (who had been the fastest cat she knew so far). "I'll take a guess and say you're Rain." meows the rogue with a velvety voice. She bristles in response and licks her fresh cuts.

She takes a good look at Iko whose paws were fidgeting. It hits her that a small and rather fluffy presence was missing. Fire was gone. "Where's Fire?" hisses Rain quietly as she pads towards Iko. The blue tipped tom shrugs and grins clumsily.

"You're more worried about that furball than me?" teases Iko. The black tom just blankly stares at the two cats before him, now awkwardly cut out of the whole situation. Rain lowers her eyes and nods. "Fine, I'll find him. But good luck fighting crazy eyes on your own." She shrugs as he strolls away and turns back to the rogue. He was lying down with his head on his paws with a mischievous grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You done yet?" snorts the ebony cat. Long time ago, thinks Rain petulantly. In flash he's

on her left and when she blinks, she'd already lost. Pinned beneath the sleek tom, it took her a few seconds to snap out of her entranced state. "Should've kept your partner," he muses, "I was truly hoping for more of a challenge, you know? With you being "Hail" and everything, killing at least 20 cats in your career. You're puny. I'm disappointed."

"Oh, please pardon my lack of interest." meows Rain sarcastically, no longer caring about talking or not. "What business do you have with us?"

A black claw presses against her throat and the grinning cat looks down at her, menacingly towering over her skinny frame. "You're not worried about little Lightningflash bleeding out?"

Her apathetic eyes meet his glowing ones. "Why would I? He's just an liability. Can you get to the point?" A voice in her head echoes, Sure you don't want his name? "And I didn't catch your name." She catches herself mindlessly following the voice's command, and growls.

"The defeated shouldn't ask questions." Rain has to bite back her tongue to keep herself from snapping. "But, for formality purposes, Onyx." Hang in there, teases the voice. Who're you? It doesn't respond. Onyx still has her caught beneath his claws. Fed up with the boring circumstances and the annoying voice, the she-cat suddenly thrashes and throws him off. Lunging for his throat, she's surprised as he smoothly dodges. Onyx grins, excited by the challenge. Wouldn't underestimate if I were you.

Dodging a kick, Rain thinks back Shut up, Redflame. and continues trying to land a blow. How could one cat be so hard to kill? The ebony colored tom laughs and strikes as quick as a snake, biting her neck. She ignores the pain to focus on the fight, then she bowls him over and tackles him to the ground. Raking her claws across his belly, Rain's pupils contract. She'd lost it. Slash after slash, Rain manages to anger her opponent and gets thrown into a wall.

The blood trickles down the corners of her mouth as she rises back on to her light gray paws. Adrenaline coursing beneath her fur, Rain smiles and swipes her tongue over her muzzle. She lowers her shoulders and challenges him with a smug look in her eyes. Suddenly her moment of "Hail" dissolves and her mind goes blank. Not able to remember what she was doing or why she even fighting. It's too late for her to react when he smashes into her, and she hits the concrete. Then it occurs to her that, for the first time in her life, she might lose her life; and for the first time in her life, she almost falls into hysteria. Maybe something to distract him could buy her some time.

"What is your reason, you don't have one do you; to kill me." prompts Rain.

"No, and I'd suspect you don't have one either, after killing more cats than the toes on all your paws."

Her icy eyes narrow, meeting his calculating ones. "Is because it revenge?"

"Not exactly, let's just say, I'm in charge now." Instead of laughing it off and snapping his neck, she freezes. "I won't kill you, so don't you fret. However, I do have a favor I need you to do for me. Don't do it, and you're dead."

Onyx's grin widens when she asks, "What's the favor?"

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**Hurray for another chapter! :D It's getting harder to come up with stuff O.o please review .3. **

**~lunnylu**


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